


Never Going Home

by modxminty



Category: The Book of Mormon - Parker/Stone/Lopez
Genre: Fluff, I can't tag things, Little bit of angst, Multi, just a little, kevin is confused, naba is pure
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-07-31
Updated: 2017-07-31
Packaged: 2018-12-09 04:53:57
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,923
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11662032
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/modxminty/pseuds/modxminty
Summary: The last person Kevin had expected to run into in New York was Naba. She didn't seem like the type. Yet, here she was, standing in front of him as he desperately tried to clean coffee off of his shirt while spitting out apologies.“Shit, fuck, I'm so fucking sorry. Fuck I'm such an idiot, I'm so sorry, fuck.”“It is okay Elder Price, it was my fault,” the voice was so innocent and so familiar that it made Kevin want to run and hide and give her the world's biggest hug and never let go all at the same time.Instead, he laughed, abandoning his useless attempts at cleaning his shirt and tossing the napkin aside. “Nobody has called me elder for years. I'm not a part of the church, you should forget about it.”





	Never Going Home

**Author's Note:**

> Make sure you let me know if you catch any spelling/grammar mistakes or things just just don't make sense

********

It was an honest mistake, really. They got his order slightly wrong, that was perfectly okay. But it still left him grouchy for the rest of the day. So, when he collided head on with someone outside of the closest coffee shop, it was just the icing on the cake that was Kevin's terrible mood.

“Fuck,” he groaned, grabbing his napkin and rubbing at what would soon be a stain on a shirt that was not his. He didn't even remember where he picked it up, someone's apartment after a drunken night he assumed. Still, it would be a bitch to try and get out. “Just my luck.”

“I'm so sorry sir,” his eyes shot up, staring ahead to match a face to the voice that was painfully familiar. The girl looked at him, her dark eyes growing wide. “Elder Price?”

Honestly, Kevin was in no place to be calling himself an Elder anymore. And he didn't really feel like Kevin. But he shoved that to the side, packing it into a box in his brain he had conveniently labeled “Things I Should Probably Think About Later But I Know I'm Not Going To” and instead answered her with a simple “Fuck.”

Kevin Price was perfectly fine. At least, he liked to think he was. And sure, he was all fine and dandy on the outside, but the same couldn't be said for his mental state. It wasn't that he was depressed or anxious or anything of the sort, he was just a little bit stuck. He didn't really know what he was doing, but that was okay. He'd figure it out. He was Kevin Price, and Kevin Price always worked things out. Well, he used to. Lately he wasn't so sure. He didn't have anything to fall back on, anything to count on. Nothing was consistent with him. He had lived in ten different cities since finishing his mission, washing his hands of the church and leaving his hate filled days behind him. He tried to get better, to understand things more, and he really was doing it.

He hadn't kept in touch with any of the other elders, not even Arnold. It surprised him, it really did. They all tried, but after a while Kevin just fell out of it. He knew they all still talked, still saw each other almost daily. He followed them all on social media, although none of them did the same with him. Everyone had good lives, they were thriving and happy and so much better than Kevin was. So, he was left to think that maybe, just maybe, it had been better for them to leave him out of it. Elder Church and Poptarts started dating, he had seen all of their gross couple photos on instagram and wondered why nobody told him. Arnold and Naba got married. That one stung, because he hadn't been invited, or even told for that matter. And honestly, Kevin just wanted to know what he had done to piss everyone off.

Eventually Kevin found himself in New York. He worked at a bar, serving drinks and flirting with people for tips. Sometimes he'd sit there after his shift was over and older men would buy him drinks. He let them, although he never drank any of them. His friends at the bar would always give him the money the men spent on him and he’d give them the drinks after their shifts. It's what he lived off of. He didn't expect for it to get him very far, but that was okay. Eventually he'd pack up and leave again. He'd keep to the same routine he'd given himself since he'd gotten back. As soon as he got comfortable in a place, he left, packed his bags and went somewhere new. He enjoyed it. He'd seen more places in three years than a lot of people he knew had seen in their entire lives. But it got kind of lonely. He didn't keep in touch with people, they were bound to forget about him like the others from the mission.

Kevin had been in New York a lot longer than he would have liked, he decided, but it was okay. He liked New York, he really did. Somehow he found himself at an audition, then with a part, and suddenly he was in a Broadway show. That surprised him. He wasn't the type to do things like that, he didn't make decisions like that. But he had, and now here he was. A leading role on Broadway, the first time he had acted in something in his life. Well, that was if you didn't count school productions and church things. But this was bigger, this was Broadway. It was slightly terrifying even, because he didn't know why he did it. Now he had to stay. He couldn't pack up and leave, that wasn't how it worked anymore. He had given himself one stable thing, and maybe that's why he did it. So he had something to hold onto while the world kept shifting around him.

The last person Kevin had expected to run into in New York was Naba. She didn't seem like the type. Yet, here she was, standing in front of him as he desperately tried to clean coffee off of his shirt while spitting out apologies.

“Shit, fuck, I'm so fucking sorry. Fuck I'm such an idiot, I'm so sorry, fuck.”

“It is okay Elder Price, it was my fault,” the voice was so innocent and so familiar that it made Kevin want to run and hide and give her the world's biggest hug and never let go all at the same time.

Instead, he laughed, abandoning his useless attempts at cleaning his shirt and tossing the napkin aside. “Nobody has called me elder for years. I'm not a part of the church, you should forget about it.”

“Alright, then what should I call you?” She asked, holding her hands behind her back and smiling lightly.

Kevin brushed some hair out of his face, rubbing at the back of his neck as he spoke. “Kevin. Just call me Kevin.”

Her smile widened. “Well, Kevin, it is wonderful to see you.”

“Yeah, yeah,” Kevin nodded, stuffing his hands in his pockets. “Its, uh, it's good to uh, to see you too.”

“Kevin I-” he cut her off before she could finish her sentence.

“Look I'm uh, I'm sorry Naba but I've gotta go, fuck, I'm sorry but I really can't stay here,” He fiddled with his hands, then his shirt, then stuffed his hands back in his pockets and rocked a bit on his heels. The faster he could get back to the theatre the better.

Naba’s face fell and he I stably wanted to take it all back. “Are you sure? I understand if you are busy, but I would like to catch up, if you have the time.”

“I uh,” Kevin wanted to say no, he really did, but he could never say no to Naba, even back in Uganda. He figured she could talk him into anything. The thought both terrified and comforted him.

“I was just about to meet some of the other Elders for lunch, I'm sure they would love to see you as well,” she suggested, her hope registering with Kevin and instantly making him feel guilty for trying to pass.

“Which of the Elders?”

“Arnold, of course, Elder Church, Elder Thomas, and Elder McKinley.”

The name of his former district leader filled him with a sudden interest in going. He hasn't heard or seen anything of him since Uganda and he was honestly more than a little curious as to what he was up to these days. So maybe his little crush on his former district leader had something to do with his decision, but if anyone asked Kevin wouldn't mention it. “Alright, I guess I'll go.”

Naba beamed, grabbing Kevin's hand and dragging him into the coffee shop he had just walked out of. His friend, Mike, who gave him free drinks in exchange for favours, gave him a look from behind the counter. Kevin subtly nodded to the girl dragging him through the shop and he seemed to get the gist of it. She pulled him over to a table in the corner, rambling on and on about how much she and all the others had missed him. Honestly it just didn't add up in Kevin’s mind. If they had missed him, why did they cut him off?

“Elders!” Naba happily announced, gaining the attention of the four boys as she completed the walk to their table. Kevin could feel all the eyes on him and stood up a little taller, trying to be somewhat reminiscent of the boy they had all known. “Look who I found!”

“Elder Price?” Church questioned, disbelief practically dripping from his voice.

He shook his head. “It's just Kevin now, thanks.”

“Best friend!” The ever excited voice of his former companion sounded through the room, clearly catching the unwanted attention of many of the other customers.

“Hey buddy,” Kevin smiled awkwardly, waving in the general direction of the group.

The next thing he knew there were arms around his waist and his face was pressed into Arnold's shoulder. Since when had Arnold been taller than him? Looking at the group, they all seemed a lot different than the last time Kevin had seen any of them. They had changed a lot in those four years. They were all older, taller, more filled out. They fit into their shirts better and most had grown out their hair a bit. Poptarts looked happier, a nice round pair of glasses now framing his face. Church looked older, well kept stubble covering his chin and neck. Arnold looked fit, taller and thinner than he had been when they first got back to America. Naba hadn't changed much, she had only gotten older, still glowing and happy as ever.

Then there was McKinley. He had grown up since Kevin had last seen him, maybe even more than the others. He was taller, probably taller than Kevin now, and he looked tired. There were bags under his eyes and he looked sadder, stressed. Kevin was only left to wonder how much of a mess he was, dressed in sweatpants and a sleeveless shirt with a fresh coffee stain. He hasn't shaved in a week, hadn't really fixed his hair, hand put in his contacts. Frankly, he figured He probably looked like a wreck. He wasn't expecting to see people that day, he was just going to hide out in the theatre and rehearse like every other day. But that wasn't how it had worked out.

He carefully pushed Arnold off of him, helping the man back into his seat, before taking the remaining empty one next to McKinley.

“Well,” Poptarts started, gaining everyone's attention. “If Kevin wants to be called by his first name, then we'll all go by our first names today. Call me Chris.”

“James,” Church piped up from beside him, flashing his boyfriend a dazzling smile.

“You already know ours,” Arnold laughed, knocking his shoulder into Naba’s who smiled in return.

“Connor,” McKinley finally said, turning to look at the boy beside him.

“Well now that that's out if the way,” James grinned, leaning on the table excitedly. “Why don't you tell us what you've been up to, mister Kevin Price.”

Kevin shrugged, leaning back and folding his arms over his chest. “What do you wanna know?”

**Author's Note:**

> This is short and kinda bad but here it is


End file.
